Author Topic: Back in Business With My Ole Winchester 3030! (Read 1330 times)

Dee · « **on:** February 18, 2010, 06:10:18 PM »

About 2 or 3 years ago I started relying more and more on a 24" barreled 357mag. Model 92 Winchester clone. It's a dang nice rifle but the key was it had a longer sight radius, and these old eyes could better focus on the front sight lookin thru a receiver peep sight (Lyman 66).
I have had the same sight on my Model 94 Winchester 3030 for almost 40 years but, it's kinda like readin in you old age. Your arms ain't long enough, so the 94 wasn't gettin much use, because of that 20" barrel.
In another discussion of the same a week or so ago, Zoner mentioned that he had acquired an old Model 94 and had opted for a tang sight, instead of a receiver sight like mine. I got to thinkin and got one out that was actually for a Marlin and put it on my Winchester. WOW! The front sight immediately came into focus.
The next day I called Brownell's and told them to send me a Marble's tang sight for my ole Winchester 3030.
When I got it, I drilled and tapped one hole, lined the tang up with the receiver sight, and removed the receiver sight. I took it out and got it close and called it a day. Today I went out for the sole purpose of fine tunin it, and boy did it ever come in, in just 4 shots.
I next fired a 3 shot group at fifty yards, and it shot a 5/8" group with two in the same hole. I measured the spread center to center from the two farthest shots.
Not bad for a 60 year old man with a 52 year old rifle. Me and my ole friend are back in business. Reckon we'll last another 52 years?

burntmuch · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2010, 06:27:04 PM »

Good for you Dee. Thats a great group for any age eyes & any age gun.

Dee · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2010, 06:31:52 PM »

I'm gonna go out tomorrow morning while I'm still fresh, and make sure it wasn't an accident.

burntmuch · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2010, 06:56:17 PM »

Dee ,every time I do that I regret it

Old Grizz · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2010, 11:17:20 PM »

Hey Dee, better quit while your ahead.

Dee · « **Reply #5 on:** February 19, 2010, 03:31:15 AM »

Nope! I'm gonna make sure I can hit a barn, any time I want to. I'm gonna go fire a group this morning.

Old Grizz · « **Reply #6 on:** February 19, 2010, 03:49:56 AM »

OK. let us know how ya did.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #7 on:** February 19, 2010, 05:33:06 AM »

That's great it would be a shame to break up a couple that had been togather that long . Guess the 357 caught your eye but couldn't steal your heart !

Dee · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2010, 07:48:29 AM »

The 357 is a great rifle, but it ain't my Winchester.
Here is my three shot group this mornin. No warm up, no practice, just put the target up (crooked), and a three shot group at 50 yards. The black line I drew is to show that the target was not level but canted that way. The line shows what was actually 90 degrees vertical (I'm a details nut

).
On this group I replaced the target aperture with a huntin aperture, and as you can see the group had a flyer that opened the group up an inch, so the group actually measures center to center 1 & 5/8 inch. I was shootin at a one inch square blue bullseye so that has something to do with it, but the rifle is more than good for critter shootin again.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:27:12 AM »

Not many critters would walk away from that group.

Dee · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:32:08 AM »

Yeah I think so. The front sight looks pretty big when your lookin at a one inch square at 50 yards. To really get an honest group, you need an appropriate size target, but if I can hit a one inch square at 50 yards, everything else should be gravy.
Knowin the rifle AND the cartridge doesn't hurt, and I have shot both for a little while now.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:43:17 AM »

shows !

Swampman · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2010, 08:51:34 AM »

If you would send me that Marlin sight God would richly bless you.

Dee · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2010, 09:12:20 AM »

Swampy, you ain't Kenneth Copeland, or Benny Hinn, and I ain't from Arkansas. Marble's tang sights ain't cheap. If they were, I would certainly send it to you.

wvjoetc · « **Reply #14 on:** February 19, 2010, 03:57:58 PM »

Dee,
Are you shooting factory or handloading for your 30-30 and 357?
Joe

kernman · « **Reply #15 on:** February 19, 2010, 04:24:03 PM »

Dee,

You have made a believer out of me.

Say, can you tell us a bit more about that 357 clone? Specially since Marlin 357's are hard to find anymores. Where might I might one?

Kernman

Dee · « **Reply #16 on:** February 19, 2010, 04:33:51 PM »

Quote from: wvjoetc on February 19, 2010, 03:57:58 PM

Dee,
Are you shooting factory or handloading for your 30-30 and 357?
Joe

wvjoetc, I haven't shot a factory round thru that Winchester since about 1971. I shoot a 150 grain Remington jacketed round nose bulk bought bullet, in front of 38 grains of W748 powder for 2400fps.
I doubt the 357 as had more than 10 rounds of factory ammo thru it in it's 5 or 6 years. I shoot 158 grain jacketed soft point Remington bulk bullet in front of 14.5 grains of 2400 for about 1900+fps, or 17 grains of H110 for about 1800fps.

Dee · « **Reply #17 on:** February 19, 2010, 04:39:10 PM »

Quote from: kernman on February 19, 2010, 04:24:03 PM

Dee,

You have made a believer out of me.

Say, can you tell us a bit more about that 357 clone? Specially since Marlin 357's are hard to find anymores. Where might I might one?

Kernman

I ordered the Model 92 from Navy Arms. It is the the Navy Arms Deluxe 1892 Lever Action Series rifle. It is a 24" octagon, barrel, nice walnut stocked rifle. I had good fit and finish on both the barrel and stock. But I didn't like the finish on the stock so while I had it tore down for an action job, I stripped the finish off the stock and forearm, and hand rubbed six coats of true oil with sanding in between each coat.
Navy Arms' number is 201 945 2500, and their based in Ridgefield N.J.

John Y Cannuck · « **Reply #18 on:** February 20, 2010, 07:00:48 AM »

Congrats on the group, and the sight revelation.
I use receiver sights on most all my rifles, including my 94's, and my old 92.
I've always been a stock crawler, to get my eye close to that peep, and as such, my own old eyes don't require a tang sight. Not that I've not tried one, just that the receiver worked best for me, and the type of hunting I do.
My '94's wear the 20" barrel, so I don't get that generous sight radius although it's much better than the OEM sights. As a result, it's rare for me to better two inch groups. It happens though, even now with bifocals, and in my younger years, it would do 1.5" with regularity.

Yes, I do get my thumb whacked into my nose now and then.

Dee · « **Reply #19 on:** February 20, 2010, 08:13:26 AM »

But it still works, and that's the key John.

Freezer · « **Reply #20 on:** February 22, 2010, 01:50:21 AM »

Ok I can see where this one is going

I've been having the same problem with iron sites. My 450 Marlin and 94 winy need to be upgraded.

rex6666 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 04, 2010, 05:40:56 AM »

I could not see the back sight on the 336, well that is wrong i could see
2-3-4 of them. I ordered a Williams 5D-336 rec. then remembered that about
a week before i had made a bid on a Lyman 66LA on ebay, guess no one
else wanted it cause i didn't bid much. So now i have 2 guess i will decide
which one i like and trade or hoard the other.

Dee · « **Reply #22 on:** March 04, 2010, 06:40:30 AM »

I won't bad mouth the Williams cause I have never had one. The Lyman 66 however, was on my Winchester for over 30 years, and I never had a problem. When I took it off recently in leuof the tang sight, it had left a ring from the years there. It came off with a little oil and elbow grease.